Wireless communication in a robotic surgical system

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, an insertion axis of a robotic manipulator is provided, the insertion axis including a base link operably coupled to a distal end of a manipulator arm, and a carriage link movably coupled to the base link along a lengthwise axis, the carriage link including a remote printed circuit assembly and transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a main printed circuit assembly external to the insertion axis. A robotic surgical system including such an insertion axis and a method for wireless communication in the system are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. application Ser. No.13/094,376, entitled “Wireless Communication in a Robotic SurgicalSystem”, filed Apr. 26, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/613,915, filed Dec. 20, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No.7,955,322, issued on Jun. 7, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/752,755, filed Dec. 20, 2005, the fulldisclosures of which (including all references incorporated by referencetherein) are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/613,578,filed Dec. 20, 2006, entitled “Cable Tensioning A Robotic SurgicalSystem”, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/613,800, filed Dec. 20, 2006,entitled “Telescopic Insertion Axis Of A Robotic Surgical System”, U.S.application Ser. No. 11/556,484, filed Nov. 3, 2006, entitled “IndicatorFor Tool State and Communication In A Multi-Arm Robotic Telesurgery”,and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/613,698, filed Dec. 20, 2006, entitled“Instrument Interface In A Robotic Surgical System”, the fulldisclosures of which (including all references incorporated by referencetherein) are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to surgical robot systems and,more particularly, to an apparatus, system, and method for wirelesscommunication and power supply in a robotic surgical system.

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive robotic surgical or telesurgical systems have beendeveloped to increase a surgeon's dexterity and to avoid some of thelimitations on traditional minimally invasive techniques. Intelesurgery, the surgeon uses some form of remote control, e.g., aservomechanism or the like, to manipulate surgical instrument movements,rather than directly holding and moving the instruments by hand. Intelesurgery systems, the surgeon can be provided with an image of thesurgical site at the surgical workstation. While viewing a two or threedimensional image of the surgical site on a display, the surgeonperforms the surgical procedures on the patient by manipulating mastercontrol devices, which in turn control motion of the servomechanicallyoperated instruments.

In robotically assisted surgery, the surgeon typically operates a mastercontroller to control the motion of surgical instruments at the surgicalsite from a location that may be remote from the patient (e.g., acrossthe operating room, in a different room, or a completely differentbuilding from the patient). The master controller usually includes oneor more hand input devices, such as hand-held wrist gimbals, joysticks,exoskeletal gloves or the like, which are operatively coupled to thesurgical instruments that are releasably coupled to a patient sidesurgical manipulator (“the slave”). The master controller controls theinstruments' position, orientation, and articulation at the surgicalsite. The slave is an electro-mechanical assembly that includes aplurality of arms, joints, linkages, servo-motors, etc. that areconnected together to support and control the surgical instruments. In asurgical procedure, the surgical instruments (including an endoscope)may be introduced directly into an open surgical site or more typicallythrough trocar sleeves into a body cavity. Depending on a surgicalprocedure, there are available a variety of surgical instruments, suchas tissue graspers, needle drivers, electrosurgical cautery probes,etc., to perform various functions for the surgeon, e.g., holding ordriving a needle, suturing, grasping a blood vessel, or dissecting,cauterizing or coagulating tissue.

A surgical manipulator assembly may be said to be divided into threemain components that include a non-sterile drive and control component,a sterilizable end effector or surgical tool/instrument, and anintermediate connector component. The intermediate connector componentincludes mechanical elements for coupling the surgical tool with thedrive and control component, and for transferring motion from the drivecomponent to the surgical tool. Electrical cables, such as flexible flatcables, have been previously used to provide power, ground, and/or datasignals between the components of the surgical system. Prior teleroboticsurgical systems with such electrical cables are described for examplein U.S. application Ser. No. 11/613,800, filed Dec. 20, 2006, entitled“Telescopic Insertion Axis Of A Robotic Surgical System”, the completedisclosure of which has been previously incorporated herein by referencefor all purposes. However, issues related to small clearances,electrical noise, mechanical fatigue, and mechanical hazards have causeda greater likelihood of malfunction and decreased system robustness.Furthermore, power and data transactions for electrical circuits mustcross a sterile barrier (e.g., a membrane or film) that separates thesterile field containing surgical activity from the non-sterilemechanisms of the surgical robot.

What is needed, therefore, are improved apparatus and methods forproviding electrical signals and power in a telerobotic surgical systemfor remotely interfacing to surgical instruments and the associated userinterface controls and indicators at a surgical site on a patient.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an advantageous apparatus, system, andmethod for wireless communication and power supply in a teleroboticsurgical system.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an insertionaxis of a robotic manipulator is provided, comprising a base linkoperably coupled to a distal end of a manipulator arm, and a carriagelink movably coupled to the base link along a lengthwise axis, thecarriage link including a remote printed circuit assembly andtransceiver for wirelessly communicating with a main printed circuitassembly external to the insertion axis.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, arobotic surgical system is provided, the system comprising the insertionaxis described above, a manipulator arm including a main printed circuitassembly and transceiver, and an instrument coupled to the carriage linkvia an instrument interface.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof wireless communication in a robotic surgical system is provided, themethod comprising providing a manipulator arm including a main printedcircuit assembly and transceiver, providing an insertion axis asdescribed above operably coupled to a distal end of the manipulator arm,and transmitting data wirelessly from a remote printed circuit assemblyto a main printed circuit assembly.

Advantageously, the present invention allows for the substantialelimination of electrical wires through the insertion axis of themanipulator, thereby enabling the surgical manipulator to be madesmaller and perform with greater robustness. Furthermore, separation ofthe electrical circuits provides a barrier to leakage currents thatmight otherwise cause electrical harm to patients and/or medical staff.

The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which areincorporated into this section by reference. A more completeunderstanding of embodiments of the present invention will be affordedto those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additionaladvantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detaileddescription of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to theappended sheets of drawings that will first be described briefly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a portion of an operating theaterillustrating a robotic surgical system, including a master surgeonconsole or workstation for inputting a surgical procedure and a roboticmanipulator system for robotically moving surgical instruments at asurgical site within a patient.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a perspective view and a front view,respectively, of an embodiment of a manipulator system, includingpositioning linkages or set up joints which allow a patient side roboticmanipulator and/or an endoscope or camera robotic manipulator to bepre-configured for surgery.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a surgical instrument foruse in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from above of an alternative manipulatorsystem including a plurality of positioning linkages, each supporting amanipulator arm.

FIGS. 5A through 5E illustrate perspective views and a partial frontalview of a manipulator including a telescopic insertion axis and wirelesscommunication means in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 5A1 is a close-up view of a carriage link of thetelescopic insertion axis in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the manipulator of FIGS. 5A through 5E showingthe wireless communication means and a power supply in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the manipulator of FIGS. 5A through 5E showingthe wireless communication means and another power supply in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are block diagrams of a main printed circuit assembly(PCA) and a remote PCA, respectively, illustrating inputs and outputs ofthe PCAs.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are simple block diagrams showing a sliding brushcontact for providing power to a wireless communication means inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are bestunderstood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Itshould be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identifylike elements illustrated in one or more of the figures. It should alsobe appreciated that the figures may not be necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a system, apparatus, and method forwireless communication in a telerobotic surgical system for performingrobotically-assisted surgical procedures on a patient, particularlyincluding neurosurgical procedures, such as stereotaxy, and endoscopicprocedures, such as laparoscopy, arthroscopy, thoracoscopy and the like.The apparatus and method of the present invention is particularly usefulas part of a telerobotic surgical system that allows the surgeon tomanipulate the surgical instruments through a servomechanism at alocation remote from the patient. One example of a robotic surgicalsystem is the da Vinci® S™ surgical system available from IntuitiveSurgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. A User's Guide for the da Vinci® S™surgical system is available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and isincorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate components of a robotic surgical system 1 forperforming minimally invasive robotic surgery. System 1 is similar tothat described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,200, the fulldisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A systemoperator O (generally a surgeon) performs a minimally invasive surgicalprocedure on a patient P lying on an operating table T. The systemoperator O sees images presented by display 12 and manipulates one ormore input devices or masters 2 at a surgeon's console 3. In response tothe surgeon's input commands, a computer processor 4 of console 3directs movement of surgical instruments or tools 5, effectingservomechanical movement of the instruments via a robotic patient-sidemanipulator system 6 (a cart-based system in this example) includingjoints, linkages, and manipulator arms each having a telescopicinsertion axis. In one embodiment, processor 4 correlates the movementof the end effectors of tools 5 so that the motions of the end effectorsfollow the movements of the input devices in the hands of the systemoperator O.

Processor 4 will typically include data processing hardware andsoftware, with the software typically comprising machine-readable code.The machine-readable code will embody software programming instructionsto implement some or all of the methods described herein. Whileprocessor 4 is shown as a single block in the simplified schematic ofFIG. 1, the processor may comprise a number of data processing circuits(e.g., on the surgeon's console 3 and/or on the patient-side manipulatorsystem 6), with at least a portion of the processing optionally beingperformed adjacent an input device, a portion being performed adjacent amanipulator, and the like. Any of a wide variety of centralized ordistributed data processing architectures may be employed. Similarly,the programming code may be implemented as a number of separate programsor subroutines, or may be integrated into a number of other aspects ofthe robotic systems described herein. In one embodiment, processor 4 maysupport wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth, IrDA,HomeRF, IEEE 802.11, DECT, and Wireless Telemetry.

In one example, manipulator system 6 includes at least four roboticmanipulator assemblies. Three linkages 7 (mounted at the sides of thecart in this example) support and position manipulators 8 with linkages7 in general supporting a base of the manipulators 8 at a fixed locationduring at least a portion of the surgical procedure. Manipulators 8 movesurgical tools 5 for robotic manipulation of tissues. One additionallinkage 9 (mounted at the center of the cart in this example) supportsand positions manipulator 10 which controls the motion of anendoscope/camera probe 11 to capture an image (preferably stereoscopic)of the internal surgical site. The fixable portion of positioninglinkages 7, 9 of the patient-side system is sometimes referred to hereinas a “set-up arm”.

In one example, the image of the internal surgical site is shown tooperator O by a stereoscopic display 12 in surgeon's console 3. Theinternal surgical site is simultaneously shown to assistant A by anassistance display 14.

Assistant A assists in pre-positioning manipulator assemblies 8 and 10relative to patient P using set-up linkage arms 7, 9; in swapping tools5 from one or more of the surgical manipulators for alternative surgicaltools or instruments 5′; in operating related non-robotic medicalinstruments and equipment; in manually moving a manipulator assembly sothat the associated tool accesses the internal surgical site through adifferent aperture, and the like.

In general terms, the linkages 7, 9 are used primarily during set-up ofpatient-side system 6, and typically remain in a fixed configurationduring at least a portion of a surgical procedure. Manipulators 8, 10each comprise a driven linkage which is actively articulated under thedirection of surgeon's console 3. Although one or more of the joints ofthe set-up arm may optionally be driven and robotically controlled, atleast some of the set-up arm joints may be configured for manualpositioning by assistant A.

Some of the manipulators include a telescopic insertion axis 100 (FIGS.5A-5E) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,although in other embodiments, all of the manipulators may include atelescopic insertion axis 100. Telescopic insertion axis 100 allows formovement of mounted instrument 5, via three operably coupled links, inone example.

For convenience, a manipulator such as manipulator 8 that is supportinga surgical tool used to manipulate tissues is sometimes referred to as apatient-side manipulator (PSM), while a manipulator 10 which controls animage capture or data acquisition device such as endoscope 11 may bereferred to as an endoscope-camera manipulator (ECM). The manipulatorsmay optionally actuate, maneuver and control a wide variety ofinstruments or tools, image capture devices, and the like which areuseful for surgery.

Instruments 5 and endoscope 11 may be manually positioned when settingup for a surgical procedure, when reconfiguring the manipulator system 6for a different phase of a surgical procedure, when removing andreplacing an instrument with an alternate instrument 5′, and the like.During such manual reconfiguring of the manipulator assembly byassistant A, the manipulator assembly may be placed in a different modethan is used during master/slave telesurgery, with the manuallyrepositionable mode sometimes being referred to as a clutch mode. Themanipulator assembly may change between the tissue manipulation mode andthe clutch mode in response to an input such as pushing a button orswitch on manipulator 8 (e.g., a clutch button/switch 103 in FIGS.5A-5D), or some other component to the manipulator assembly, therebyallowing assistant A to change the manipulator mode. In accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, signals for mode change may bepassed wirelessly as discussed in greater detail below.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2A through 2B, indicators 20 are disposedon each manipulator assembly. In this embodiment, indicators 20 aredisposed on manipulators 8, 10 near the interface between themanipulators and their mounted tools 5. In alternative embodiments,indicators 20 may instead be disposed elsewhere on manipulators 8, 10,or the like, with the indicators preferably being sufficiently close tothe tools so that a signal generated by a particular indicator can bereadily associated with a particular tool when the signal is viewed byassistant A. So as to unambiguously identify a tool 5 to be replaced byassistant A, system operator O may input a command into workstation 3 sothat indicator 20 on the manipulator assembly associated with thespecific tool 5 generates a visually identifiable signal that can beviewed by the assistant. An example of an indicator is disclosed in U.S.application Ser. No. 11/556,484, filed Nov. 3, 2006, the full disclosureof which (including all references incorporated by reference therein) isincorporated by reference herein for all purposes. Again, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention, LED control signals forindicators 20 may be passed wirelessly as discussed in greater detailbelow.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an articulated surgical tool orinstrument 5. Tool 5 has a proximal housing 24 which interfaces with atool holder or instrument interface of the manipulator, generallyproviding a quick release mounting engagement through a sterile adapteror interface, an example of which is disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/314,040, filed Dec. 20, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No.7,666,191, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/395,418, filed Mar.31, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,855, which are incorporated byreference herein for all purposes. Tool 5 includes an elongated shaft 23supporting an end effector 28 relative to proximal housing 24. Proximalhousing 24 accepts and transmits drive signals or drive motion betweenthe manipulator 8 and the end effector 28. An articulated wrist 29 mayprovide two degrees of freedom of motion between end effector 28 andshaft 23, and the shaft may be rotatable relative to proximal housing 24about the axis of the shaft so as to provide the end effector 28 withthree orientational degrees of freedom within the patient's body.

The surgical tool may include a variety of articulated end effectors,such as jaws, scissors, graspers, needle holders, micro-dissectors,staple appliers, tackers, suction irrigation tools, and clip appliers,that may be driven by wire links, eccentric cams, push-rods, or othermechanisms. In addition, the surgical tool may comprise anon-articulated instrument, such as cutting blades, probes, irrigators,catheters or suction orifices. Alternatively, the surgical tool maycomprise an electrosurgical probe for ablating, resecting, cutting orcoagulating tissue. Examples of applicable adaptors, tools orinstruments, and accessories are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,331,181,6,491,701, and 6,770,081, the full disclosures of which (includingdisclosures incorporated by reference therein) are incorporated byreference herein for all purposes. Applicable surgical instruments arealso commercially available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale,Calif.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a perspective view is illustrated of analternative modular manipulator support assembly 30 that may be mountedto a ceiling of an operating room. The modular manipulator support 30aligns and supports a robotic manipulator system relative to a set ofdesired surgical incision sites in a patient's body. Modular manipulatorsupport 30 generally includes an orientating platform 36 and a pluralityof configurable set-up linkage arms 38, 40, 42, 44 that may be coupledto the orienting platform. Each arm movably supports an associatedmanipulator 32, 34, which in turn movably supports an associated tool oran image capture device. Orienting platform 36 also supports anassistant display 31, which may be used for set-up, instrument changes,viewing of the procedure, and the like. The structures and use of any ofthe components of modular manipulator support assembly 30 are analogousto those described above regarding manipulator system 6, and are morefully described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/043,688, filed on Jan. 24, 2005, and entitled “Modular ManipulatorSupport For Robotic Surgery”, the full disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. Again, each manipulator 32, 34 maypass wireless communication signals therethrough in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A through 5E, manipulator 8 including atelescopic insertion axis 100 is shown in more detail in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. The insertion axis of thepresent invention is comprised of a 3-stage telescopic linear axisincluding three links, in one example, movably coupled to one anothervia rails, pulleys, and cables, with the links narrowing in width orform factor moving from the proximal link toward the distal link.Advantageously, the present invention provides for one-handed port andinstrument clutching, a larger range of motion, a narrower insertionarm, and greater insertion axis stiffness and strength with reducedinertia as a function of insertion depth, thereby helping to enable atwo-quadrant surgery with a single setup (e.g., a colorectal surgery),and providing for more space and visibility near the surgical field.

FIGS. 5A through 5E illustrate a perspective view of manipulator 8including a manipulator arm 50, and telescopic insertion axis 100operably coupled to a distal end of arm 50 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Telescopic insertion axis 100includes a first link or base link 102, a second link or idler link 104operably coupled to base link 102, and a third link or carriage link 106operably coupled to idler link 104. FIG. 5A1 illustrates a closer viewof carriage link 106.

Base link 102 is operably coupled to a distal end of arm 50, and in oneexample has an accessory clamp 108 attached to a distal end of base link102. An accessory 110, such as a cannula, may be mounted onto accessoryclamp 108. An example of applicable accessory clamps and accessories aredisclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/240,087, filed Sep.30, 2005, the full disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes. An example of applicable sterile adaptors andinstrument housings are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No.11/314,040, filed Dec. 20, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,666,191, and inU.S. application Ser. No. 11/395,418, filed Mar. 31, 2006, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,699,855, the full disclosures of which are incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

Carriage link 106 includes an instrument interface 101 for operablycoupling to a sterile adaptor 109, which in turn is operably coupled toa housing 24 of an instrument 5, and controls the depth of theinstrument inside a patient. In one embodiment, the sterile adaptor 109may be part of a drape that may be draped over the robotic surgicalsystem, and in particular the manipulator system, to establish a sterilebarrier between the non-sterile PSM arms and the sterile field of thesurgical procedure. An example of an applicable drape and adaptor isdisclosed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/240,113, filed Sep.30, 2005, the full disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes.

Idler link 104 is movably coupled between base link 102 and carriagelink 106 to allow the links 102, 104, and 106 to move relative to oneanother along a lengthwise axis (e.g., axis C) in a telescoping fashion.

Motion along axes A through G in manipulator 8, as shown in FIGS. 5A and5A1, are provided by cables extending at least between the proximal anddistal links in accordance with the present invention. The robotic armcan then control a tool operably coupled to the arm. The cables are acomponent of a transmission system also including drive pulleys, idlerpulleys, and output pulleys, which are driven by electric motors. Apulley bank is located on an underside of base link 102 for passingcables between insertion axis 100 and manipulator arm 50 of manipulatorsystem 6. A plurality of motion feed-throughs, in addition to otherelements, may also be provided for transferring motion.

The drive assembly may further include a plurality of drive motorscoupled to the arm for rotation therewith. Yaw and pitch motors controlthe motion of the arm about the A axis and the B axis (FIG. 5A),respectively, and drive motors control the motion of the wrist unit andsurgical tool. In one embodiment, four drive motors are mountedproximally in the arm to control four degrees of freedom of the toolmounted distally on the arm (the D, E, F, and G axes). Also, aproximally mounted motor controls the insertion position of the tooldistally on the arm (along the C axis). The drive motors will preferablybe coupled to encoders and potentiometers (not shown) to enable theservomechanism. Embodiments of the drive assembly, arm, and otherapplicable parts are described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,331,181,6,491,701, and 6,770,081, the full disclosures of which (includingdisclosures incorporated by reference therein) are incorporated hereinby reference for all purposes. The manipulator arm and the driveassembly may also be used with a broad range of positioning devices. Amore complete description of a remote center positioning device can befound in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/504,301, filed Jul. 20,1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,832, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Prior robotic surgical systems have used electrical wire harnesses toprovide power, ground, and/or data signals between the components of thesurgical system. However, routing electrical cables or wire harnessesthrough the manipulator, in particular the insertion axis, may bedisadvantageous for various reasons, including but not limited toinsufficient space for the number of wires required, the bendingrequired of the cable over its lifetime causing damage to the cable,surrounding parts of the robot being required to be enlarged toaccommodate cables, and the cable not being sufficiently packaged out ofthe working area of the robot thereby causing disruption of the workflowand/or exposure of the cable to damage.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 in conjunction with the earlier figures,a main printed circuit assembly (PCA) and wireless transceiver 202(“main PCA/transceiver”) and a remote PCA and wireless transceiver 204(“remote PCA/transceiver”) are used for wirelessly transferring databetween a region of a surgical robot in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

In this embodiment, main PCA/transceiver 202 is located outside ofinsertion axis 100, in one example within a link of arm 50, and isoperably coupled to other control electronics of the robotic surgicalsystem. Remote PCA/transceiver 204 is located within insertion axis 100,in one example being within carriage link 106, and is operably coupledto interface 101 for receiving the sterile adaptor and the surgicalinstrument. In another example, remote PCA/transceiver 204 may beoperably coupled to indicator 20. It is noted that the PCAs/transceivers202 and 204 may be positioned in various locations of the surgicalsystem, including a location external to the manipulator system, forallowing the wireless communication of data, and that multiple sets ofmain and remote PCAs/transceivers may also be used throughout thesurgical system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Main PCA/transceiver 202 and remote PCA/transceiver 204 may supportvarious wireless communication protocols, including but not limited toBluetooth, IrDA, HomeRF, IEEE 802.11, DECT, and Wireless Telemetry. Datatransmitted between remote PCA/transceiver 204 and main 202 may includeinformation about the instrument (e.g., instrument identification,connection status to the sterile adaptor via a Hall Effect sensor,etc.), the sterile adaptor (e.g., connection status to the carriage linkinterface, etc.), and the state of the system (e.g., tissue manipulationmode, clutch mode, cannula presence, etc., that control for such thingsas LED color and blinking frequency). Thus, in one example, electricalsignals may be communicated to and from a surgical tool, a sterileadaptor, LEDs, a clutch button, and Hall Effect sensors. Other examplesof data are described in the User's Guide for the da Vinci® S™ surgicalsystem available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, block diagrams of a main PCA 202 and aremote PCA 204, respectively, are illustrated showing inputs and outputsof the PCAs. In one embodiment, the remote PCA may have inputs andoutputs for providing power and/or communicating with LEDs, Hall effectsensors, a sterile adaptor, an instrument, and a user interface button(e.g., for a clutch operation). The remote PCA may also include an inputfor receiving power and an input/output for communicating with a mainPCA (e.g., processor 4 of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the main PCA mayhave inputs and outputs for providing power and/or communicating withmotors (e.g., the main PCA transmits position controls to the motors andprocesses potentiometer and encoder signals), sensors, the userinterface button, the remote PCA, and other printed circuit boards on apatient side cart system via a serial communication bus. The remote PCAmay include, in one example, an Embedded Serializer for InstrumentInterface (ESII) PCA, and the main PCA may include, in one example, anEmbedded Serializer Patient Manipulator (ESPM) PCA, both of which areavailable from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. It is notedthat other printed circuit assemblies or boards that allow for thecommunication of signals related to the instrument, the sterile adaptor,the accessory, and/or the state of the system are within the scope ofthe present invention.

In other embodiments, data transmission (including across a steriledrape) may be by optical, close-coupled magnetics, and/or radio wavetransmission. In optical transmissions, data may be communicated usingmodulated light emitters, LEDS, lasers, and/or an optical sensor.Magnetic coupling of data may be accomplished via primary and secondaryparts of a transformer.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, variousmeans for providing power to the remote PCA/transceiver 204 aredisclosed. In one example, a battery 206 is operably coupled to remotePCA/transceiver 204. For the case of low power consumption, a smalldisposable battery may be used to power the remote PCA/transceiver 204.Field service personnel may preemptively change this battery a few timesa year. For higher power consumption cases, such as for providing powerto LEDs of the insertion axis indicators 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2),rechargeable batteries may be utilized. In one example, an inductivecharging system may be used such that the battery for the remote PCA maybe charged when the system is not in use (e.g., the insertion axis maycompletely retract when the system is turned off thereby bringingcharger coils sufficiently close to charge the battery). Advantageously,no conductors are exposed and no batteries need be replaced in thisembodiment. In a further embodiment, a large battery on the manipulatorcart can charge the remote PCA battery even if the cart is not pluggedinto a wall socket.

In another example for providing power to the remote PCA/transceiver, awire 210 may be routed to the remote PCA 204 to provide power from apower source 208 external to the insertion axis, thereby eliminatingmany of the wires between the two PCAs/transceivers.

In yet another example for providing power, sliding wiper contacts maybe used between the base link 102 and idler link 104, and between theidler link 104 and the carriage link 106. FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate anexample of sliding wiper contacts between links 102 and 104.Substantially similar structures could be used between links 104 and106. FIG. 9A illustrates a simplified side view of a conductive brush212 attached to link 102 (or alternatively on link 104) that slides overa conductive lengthwise track 214 on link 104 (or alternatively on link102) and that allows for electrical coupling between links 102 and 104even during relative movement of the links. FIG. 9B illustrates asimplified top view of the lengthwise track 214 that may include twoparallel tracks 214 a and 214 b, with one track for power and the othertrack for ground. Brush 212 may be preloaded against track 214 to ensuregood contact in one example.

In yet another example of providing power transmission, AC magneticcoupling of separated primary and secondary structures of a transformermay be used. The transformer may be wound with wire or printed circuittraces, and switching power circuits may be used to provide isolatedpower.

Advantageously, electrical cables may be substantially eliminatedbetween the main PCA and the remote PCA, thereby enabling the surgicalmanipulator to be made smaller and to perform with less potential forfailure from complications related to cable/wire failure. Furthermore,separation of the electrical circuits provides a barrier to leakagecurrents that might otherwise cause electrical harm to patients and/ormedical staff.

Embodiments described above illustrate but do not limit the invention.It should also be understood that numerous modifications and variationsare possible in accordance with the principles of the present invention.For example, numerous PCAs and respective transceivers placed in varioussystem locations is within the scope of the present invention.Furthermore, the system is not limited to four robotic manipulatorassemblies, but may include two or more in other examples. Accordingly,the scope of the invention is defined only by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A link assembly of a robotic manipulator, comprising: abase link operably coupled to a distal end of a manipulator arm, whereinthe base link includes a clamp adapted to mount a cannula; and acarriage link slidably coupled to the base link along a lengthwise axisof the link assembly, wherein the carriage link includes an instrumentinterface adapted to mount an instrument having an instrument shaft,wherein the base and carriage links have an extended configuration inwhich a portion of the carriage link extends beyond the base link alongthe lengthwise axis and the carriage link is configured for telescopingmotion relative to the base link to move a distal end of the instrumentshaft relative to the clamp.
 2. The link assembly of claim 1, whereinthe instrument interface is adapted to mount an instrument having an endeffector selected from the group consisting of jaws, scissors, graspers,needle holders, micro-dissectors, staple appliers, tackers, suctionirrigation tools, clip appliers, cutting blades, cautery probes,irrigators, catheters, and suction orifices.
 3. The link assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the carriage link includes an indicator and amanipulator clutch button.
 4. The link assembly of claim 3, wherein theindicator provides a visually identifiable signal in response to areceived control signal.
 5. The link assembly of claim 1 furthercomprising a transmission system for moving the carriage link relativeto the base link.
 6. A link assembly of a robotic manipulator,comprising: a base link operably coupled to a distal end of amanipulator arm, wherein the base link includes a clamp adapted to mounta cannula; and a carriage link slidably coupled to the base link along alengthwise axis of the link assembly, wherein the carriage link includesan instrument interface adapted to mount an instrument having aninstrument shaft, wherein the base and carriage links have an extendedconfiguration in which a portion of the carriage link extends beyond thebase link along the lengthwise axis and the carriage link is configuredfor telescoping motion relative to the base link to move a distal end ofthe instrument shaft relative to the clamp, and wherein the carriagelink includes a circuit assembly, a power source for the circuitassembly, and a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a maincircuit assembly external to the link assembly.
 7. The link assembly ofclaim 6, wherein the circuit assembly and transceiver are configured totransmit data selected from the group consisting of a system state, asterile adaptor state, and an instrument state.
 8. The link assembly ofclaim 6, wherein the circuit assembly and transceiver are configured totransmit data selected from the group consisting of instrumentidentification, LED control, clutch button state, and Hall-effect sensorstate.
 9. The link assembly of claim 6, wherein the carriage linkincludes an LED indicator and a manipulator clutch button.
 10. The linkassembly of claim 6, wherein the instrument interface is adapted tomount an instrument having an end effector selected from the groupconsisting of jaws, scissors, graspers, needle holders,micro-dissectors, staple appliers, tackers, suction irrigation tools,clip appliers, cutting blades, cautery probes, irrigators, catheters,and suction orifices.
 11. The link assembly of claim 6, wherein thepower source includes a battery selected from the group consisting of arechargeable battery and a disposable battery.